The Dance

Getting back to the dance; on the night of December 23rd, a week following the horse race, the Redbones for miles around, gathered to the home of Bob Wray (1) . It was to be purely a Redbone affair and no place for any “White” settlers. And while any older or better informed man, or indeed, any man with a thought for caution would have remained away, I was not so inclined. Being young-blooded, new to the country, full of daring and also in love, I rode straight for the Redbone settlement on Ten Mile. Upon reaching the Wray place I found it a focus of excitement somewhat stronger than I had ever before observed. It was a cold crisp night. In a corner of the yard a big pine knot fire was going and a crowd of men were standing around it, drinking and “Whooping It Up” in general revelry. I tied my horse to a sapling and joined the crowd by the fire. I found a cool greeting and an almost hostile attitude. Thinking that all the “White” men were probably in the house, I made my way through the pack of men on the porch and into the front room of the building, where the dance was in progress.

On the hearth of the immense dirt chimney at the end of the room, a great fire of pine knots was roaring, while couples were shuffling over the rough boards to the spirited strains of a veteran darkey’s fiddle. He alone comprised the orchestra. And what man of mature years who was reared in Western Louisiana has not danced to the music supplied by that lovable old slave Negro, “Uncle Rube .” Later “Pete” joined Rube with guitar and it was “Pete and Rube”(2) playing for the country dances for years on years. Red licker(3) was the universal drink throughout the backwoods of that day and a dance near Christmas was the supreme occasion for its use. Wine was tolerated, for the women folks. So, on an inverted dry-goods box in one corner of the big room, two kegs were set enthroned, one of whiskey and the other of wine, and beside this box, next to the broad fire place, old Rube sat with his fiddle; the kegs and the old darkey being joint rulers over the conviviality of the merrymaking crowd. At first glance I saw no one whom I recognized and I was about to pass out into the yard when I caught sight of my sweetheart dancing with a strapping young Redbone. The girl saw me about the same time, immediately disengaged herself from her partner and returned to the seat near the door, where I joined her and asked for a dance. “No, no, we mustn’t dance together here,” Ruth replied. “I am afraid all my people dislike you, Frank and you had better leave.” But I insisted, so when the next dance started we waltzed out on the floor.

After finishing the set my girl’s father, old Eph Dyal, told me he wanted to talk with me a little, so I followed the old man outside. “I’m thinkin’ you had better git on ter hoss and ride stranger,” old Eph declared as soon as we had cleared the room, “why?” I asked him. “Because I ainter goin’ to have you a’dancing with my gal and because we ‘unses don’t want you here no how.” “All right, I’ll be going then,” I told him. Being unarmed, I knew it would be unwise to remain and so assented to his demand. But I decided to ask Ruth first, if she thought I was really in danger. Ruth told me that I must not remain another minute, else her father send someone out to waylay(4) me on the way home. So, with hurried words parting, I left my sweetheart with her Redbone lover and rode swiftly out of the Cherry Winche country. With calls such as “Skip fire in a fen; swing your partner and swing him again,” the sets were announced and the ball roared on into the night.

1 common Redbone name, known & spelt now as Ray
2 no longer slaves, they fit in better with the Redbones than whites cause'a skin color, though Pete mighta just been a Redbone
3 most likely hard liquor tinted a reddish color by the wood type of the barrel
4 though most know what waylay means, the Redbones had made an art of ambushin' horse riders